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Advanced albums

Started by Nicky007, Mon, 2009-03-23, 17:05:06

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Nicky007

Now that Deenie's back, we can pick up on the philosophical questions  ;)

My work with the Queensrÿche catalog has taught me that even proggies give up on albums that are especially difficult.

I'd be interested in identifying these advanced albums.

I don't want a list of your fave albums, altho there naturally will be an overlap; instead I want you to recall encounters with albums that have bewildered and intrigued you, sufficiently to make you return again and again ... and then one fine day, it clicked.

Since the occasion was Queensrÿche, I'l start with two of their albums, and continue with two other groups to begin with.

If any of you are interested in discussing some of my or your albums, I invite you to do so.


Queensrÿche:  Promised Land, Q2k

Nevermore:  Enemies Of Reality, This Godless Endeavor

Scar Symmetry:  Pitch Black Progress, Holographic Universe


Nicky.
So you've come of age
And so you want to meet God
Sure you can
He's right here next to me

Manatee

I don't have specific albums in mind to mention just yet (I'm sure I'll think of some later), but King Crimson in general is, I think, a band that takes a good while to sink in.  I enjoyed their first album (In the Court of the Crimson King) years ago, and then I heard some of the other stuff and found it too hard to penetrate.  Lately I've heard some of their other stuff again, and I'm intrigued.  Now may be the time for me to revisit them.
"What is that sound?  It's confusing, and boy is it loud!"

Nicky007

I agree fully with you there, Greenie. Their first album had some immediate pleasures and was rather accessible, but then they got very esoteric. There are certainly a lot of great musical experiences to be found in their catalog  *horns*

Nicky.
So you've come of age
And so you want to meet God
Sure you can
He's right here next to me

Bupie

Marillion's Brave is really an album I had to struggle a lot to finally see the (subdued) light but I already explained it in another thread.

Anoraknophobia, Radiation, Afraid Of Sunlight and Somewhere Else are still a homework in process but I haven't seen the light so far and I don't feel brave enough to give them sufficient listens to change my mind  :P (dont kill me, Steve and PH).

Apart from Brave, the album that I tried the harder to get into is Symphony X's V: The New Mithology Suite but despite 15 complete listens (at least) I still only like two songs on it  :P  I also had one listen of The Odyssey so far and found it rather terrible  :(


Steve Jones

There are some albums that I 'worked hard at' when I bought them, ultimately 'getting' them and now rating them as all-time classics.  Obvious examples include Radiohead's 'OK Computer' and Marillion's 'Marbles'.

Then there are others that only seemed to click years later.  Queensrÿche's 'Q2K' and Marillion's 'Brave' are prime examples.  The trouble with the 'years later' type for me is I always wonder whether I would have 'got' them when I bought them if I'd actually played them more, or did it need those subtle changes in taste that we can only experience over time?  I guess I'll never know.
Regards, Steve Jones

"Then I'll know my bet will win, when the saints go marching in"

Steve Jones

#5
Another thought.  There are many albums that I've only gotten into over the years when I've upgraded my HiFi.  I won't list any examples as they don't really mean much unless you had my HiFi and my ears at the time, but all of a sudden a new cartridge/turntable/amp/whatever enabled me to hear what was going on in what was previously just a wall of noise that didn't seem to communicate with me.

These days, when the Really Expensive HiFi sits unused most of the time and I listen to things on mp3 players mainly, I'm wondering how many albums I'm missing out on purely because of my digital laziness?
Regards, Steve Jones

"Then I'll know my bet will win, when the saints go marching in"

The Butterfly Man

#6
Quote from: Bupie on Tue, 2009-03-24, 10:35:42
I also had one listen of The Odyssey so far and found it rather terrible  :(

Watch out for Mad from now on! ;D

Serious now...When thinking of an album that needed a lot of listens before it finally clicked Amaseffer's 'Slaves For Life' immediately springs to mind. I bought it when it came out, having read some raving reviews about it. But when I listened to it for the first time, I was a bit disappointed. Don't know why though, but I found it a bit 'messy'. I still tried a few times to get into it, but I couldn't listen to the album all the way through. I just got bored after a couple of songs. :-\
When I listen to music in iTunes, I'm on shuffle mode most of the time and so, around Christmas, it happened that the song 'Birth Of Deliverance' came by and I was stunned! "What was there not to like?" I thought. So I dusted of the cd, sat down with the booklet and gave it one more try...and for some reason it finally clicked! :)

Tom
There will be white clouds beyond the hills...

Teunis

I had that experience with Sylvan's 'Posthumous Silence'. I gave it enough time, but I didn't like it. After a few months I played it again and suddenly it clicked.
'I will surrender my heart to the sky
Oh, our love doesn't end here, it lives forever on the wings of time'
-------------------------------------------------------
Toto - Wings of time (Kingdom of Desire)

maddox

Quote from: Bupie on Tue, 2009-03-24, 10:35:42
  I also had one listen of The Odyssey so far and found it rather terrible  :(


:o
Quote from: The Butterfly Man on Tue, 2009-03-24, 11:26:10
Watch out for Mad from now on! ;D

Indeed!  >:(

Nah, just kidding.  :D
Everyone's entitled to his own opinion. Even if it's the wrong one.  ;D

I'm just glad that Tom finally came to his senses.  ;)

Okay, now back to the topic:

This may surprise you people but...

One of the albums that forced me to dive into deeply was...Arena's Contagion.  :-[ :-[ :-[

Please, don't hit me!  :-\  ;)
It took a while to get into this album. But although i still feel that there are one or two weaker songs on it, overall i must say that it's a good album.
I still think, even after experiencing my own Max, that Contagion could've been way better than it is now. Tracks like March Of Time or  The Hour Glass are brilliant and therefore a shame that they didn't made it to the album. Heck, i even really like I Spy.  :D

Cause of Injury: Lack of Adhesive Ducks.

PH

Quote from: Teunis on Tue, 2009-03-24, 23:12:55
I had that experience with Sylvan's 'Posthumous Silence'. I gave it enough time, but I didn't like it. After a few months I played it again and suddenly it clicked.

Yeah me too.
At first I listened to a few samples Peter gave me. (I think he's Sylvan's number one fan) I didn't quite like it. But somehow you just KNOW that it is something special, so you want to try harder. I got ahold of a few more songs and still it sounded not right to my ears.
Then, on vacation, I listened to Presets. And after some time it was good. And it became better. Then I bought Presets and Posthumous Silence and started listening more and more.
Suddenly it clicked.
Now I really want to listen to the earlier albums as well.

maddox

Quote from: PH on Tue, 2009-03-24, 23:24:07
Now I really want to listen to the earlier albums as well.

Please do.
They're almost at the same level as PS.  8)
Cause of Injury: Lack of Adhesive Ducks.